Dave I'm buying a new SG for my 50th Birthday always wanted one. Never too late my friend. I was surfin' on the tube and came across this video. Quality workmanship. I'm loving your channel. You have real passion for your trade it's addictive watching anyone with a passion for what they do. Keep rockin' my friend!
I remember those days! I had one of the first runs, which like the guitar in the video had the crescent moon inlays (the faded series later switched to regular dots). I will say that quality control suffered, typical of Gibson. I played a bunch and many of them were horrible - sanding scratches, sloppy fretwork, etc. You had to sort through at least a couple to find a good one.
I never liked the way SGs looked! So I never got in to them until I picked one up at Guitar Center to mess around: it was the 61' reissue and it had been there for 2 years. I liked the sunburst and it felt great in my hands. Plugged it in and those 57' humbuckers sounded great! Not like they sound in the LP for some reason. I loved the push pull single coil configuration and it felt so light in my hands. I hate the weight of a Les Paul until they are stripped down. So I took it home and it is the best guitar that I have ever owned!
+George Robinson I played with a 1961 original as a kid. A golf pro bought his son a wine red trans one and a Fender Twin amp. The kid invited 2 of us over to see the guitar. It was the first real man's guitar I ever saw or felt. I never forgot it.
+George Robinson hey same thing happened to me I was after a Tele picked up an SG an yeah it just felt amazing to play the reset is history two days later went back bought it & now it sits in my collection as my main go to guitar!
Hi Dave, I noticed that when you checked the electronics someone put tubing on the caps for extra insulation, great idea. I've been doing that for years, just not on a guitar. Great vid, love your stuff.
I did an 07 SG in tv yellow today with a Nashville, (except the bridge bushings were nice and tight). The high strings were, as usual, hitting the back of the bridge just slightly, so instead of adjusting up the tailpiece, I lightly rounded the bridge's edge with a 300 grit diamond file, just enough to get rid of the sharp corner. I didn't even break through the plating and ya couldn't even see it. The owner wasn't complaining about breaking strings, but he did want his tailpiece all the way down. Oh what fun!
I was always told that the intonation adjustment screws on a Gibson-style (Tune-O-Matic) bridge should face inward towards the pickups and not outward towards the tail. Regardless, I enjoy your videos, Dave!
Really enjoy your vids, Dave!! I'm in my 50's and as part of my ongoing mid life crisis I've decided to learn to strum a bit. It's nice to know what goes on under the hood of a guitar, and your posts sure do help. Love your sense of humor too! Cheers -
I wish I would've known about not tightening the input jack washer by hand because I did break my wire underneath on my p-bass. Easy fix, but it took me a solid 10 minutes to find out it was that. Always with great advice!
This video will be a huge help for me. I'm hoping to find a video of yours on SG pickup height adjustment. How high can I bring up my neck pickup before I run into problems? That sort of thing. I have a new 2013 Gibson SG Standard in Heritage Cherry and I still don't feel it's quite set up right. Liked. Shared. Subscribed, here and Google+. Thank you again for sharing.
That brass tube fix a very nice fix and a nice tip. When you think about it it harkens back to the 70's brass-O-mainia/sustain-O-mainia era: mood rings, AMC Pacers and aftermarket brass hardware turning cruddy with sweat all over everybody's guitar! I do wish I had thought of your nice mod with my Les Paul 1960 'Classic' with that Nashville bridge before I sold it! I'll bet it would have improved tone conditions there. A $1700 guitar with loosy-goosy bridge posts! I miss the old-school ABR-1-type 'posts into-the-wood' design. You can do the old 'extra thumbwheel-on-the guitar-top thing' like in the days of old...Back through the mists of time....Sorry David everyone want's to get in on the act!! You're the boss!
On an ABR-1,the design is the screws go in the front. yes,some folks get them backwards,and the saddles get slotted accordingly. On a Nashville TOM,they're in the back. If the strings are hitting the back edge on a Nash [usually the two E strings],raise the STOP tailpiece via the adjustment screws till they don't.
4:44 You can string the tail piece backwards. Run the strings around the tail piece ten over the bridge. Great players like Billy Gibbons and Zakk Wylde do this. Oh ya, me too.
They're knuckle heads I don't care who they are. This top rap BS is ridiculous. The idea goes against the laws of physics. Once the guitar is tuned anything going on above the nut or below the bridge can not affect string tension and/or make it easier or harder to play or give more sustain.
I've had many SG models. A '67 walnut colored with rosewood with an invader p-up, '79 Firebrand in Devil red with Velvet Brick pickups and ebony board, a '61 reissue in heritage cherry, a black standard '83, a yellow '97 with ebony and Seymour Duncan JB & '59 p-ups with a TP6 tail piece but my favorite and best playing SG was a used $300.00 (new price) '90's model SG-X in a old school brownish rust color with a single pickup with tear drop pickguard, volume/tone, a split coil switch that I converted to an on/off switch with a Seymour Duncan JB and a TP6 tail piece This guitar played like greased lightning right off the shelf. It was amazing how well it played up and down the fretboard. Everyone that played this guitar wanted it. Everyone! Unfortunately I lost it in pawn in 2008 and I have regretted it ever since.
Got myself a faded walnut last year. What a great axe. Lightweight, versatile, dependable. Managed to find another one in an estate sale, so now I've got two identical....well not quite, one's just a hair darker. Great video Dave. You didn't cut any corners on information and detail. Thanx for posting.
I know it's an old video but if you're strings are touching the back of the bridge, the tail piece is too low. It's not meant to be hunkered down to the body it's suppose to be adjusted to get an appropiate break angle, this reduces chances of string breakage by reducing unnecessary pressure on the bridge. Overapping does essentially does the same thing in terms of reducing the break angle but the tail piece is designed to adjust without resorting to this.
I just love your videos Dave! I've been learning so much just watching you go and explain why you do what you do at the same time. I'm now reparing and servicing friends and friends friends and a whole bunch more folks instruments here. You are now official my mentor :) Cheers from Sweden!
I've had several Gibson's over the years all of them have been Les Paul's and SGs. But my 2013 61 reissue SG that came with 57 classic and 57 classic plus pickups is the best sounding and playing guitar that I've ever played. I fell in love with it the first time I played it at my local music store. It's so clear sounding and you can really turn the volume up without it feeding back. I bought a 2014 Les Paul studio with push pull coil tap and it's one of the worse Gibson's that I've ever had. Totally opposite as the SG, it feeds back sooner than my 90 something Epi Les Paul and the sound is just not as clear sounding.
I noticed that sometimes when bridge and tail piece is too high on a les paul, the neck is too straight. Sometimes by adding a bit of neck relief allows me to lower the bridge and tailpiece a little, by having the same action.
I'm not a guitar tech but I've learned so much from your videos ..Thanks. I use to have that same guitar for some reason put a bigsby on it then sold it at the great American guitar show.
I like that wrap trick on the bridge. I'm doing that next time I string up my 61' SG. The funny thing is I actually think it looks better too and reminds me of how PRS bridges look on some of their models. That, and no possibility for strings touching and breaking or causing that tension issue you mentioned (albeit I have never had that issue and the angle is pretty steep and the strings to make contact (most of them). Great vid!
really liked this video, subscribed! I have a 2013 Gibson SG myself, but the fretwork is shoddy. I don't know if the PLEK guy was having a rough monday, but there's sharp edges, and buzzing. Should I give it to a luthier, or is it something that I could trust myself with? I've recently rewired a strat, but that's as far as my skills go, I think.
Thank you for explaining that the SG and Les Paul typically need truss rod adjustment after a restringing. I've been considering buying an SG for a long time, but this makes me think twice.
But then ive had my SG ( 2017 faded for under $600 new) for years and never had any tuning or buzzing problems, its my favorite guitar. Just get a good one.
I just bought a Schaller roller bridge. The studs included were just a tad smaller than original Gibson bridge studs. The threading was the same size however. Looks like someone might have tooled around with the bridge hardware.
Cool, I was looking for your vid on bridge impingement. I have a friend's 70's Ibanez that he asked me to sort out, and that is exactly what is happening. Now I know what can be done. Thankx!
That strobe tuner is bad ass. Wish i could be next to ya when youre working on these guitars. Just ordered some feeler guages. Had a nightmare tonight trying to set the intonation on my epi sg g400. I changed the chrome tail piece to black, and doing so, threw my entire setup off, of course. I think my tusq replacement nut may be a bit too high, and is effecting my intonation.
You could have used a grinder to grind down the rear of the bridge. There is no reason for it to have a sharp corner-back edge. Or you could use a file. But the over wrapped strings can work out as well. Just keep an eye on the string angle, is there enough tension to keep the strings in the slots of the bridge after over wrapping? I mean make sure the saddle is lower than the bridge, enough to keep tension on the strings while they are installed and ready to play.
I've tried overwrapping the strings on my Gibson Sg guitar before and it had terrible buzzing and difficulty staying in tune so I went back to the original stringing method, if u lowered the bridge and raised the stop bar slightly you can avoid that back string contact problem.
This video made my day! Just been getting into actually fixing my guitar by myself. Rookie question coming up. Whats the deal with the tips of the individual string holders of the bridge sometimes facing different ways?
I love the videos. Simple question: When a truss rod is adjusted, is the "adjustment" instantaneous or should you give the neck/wood/frets a day to "settle" in? I hope my question makes sense.
you are absolutely correct about Gibson neck angle pockets not cut, carved right. Anytime I see a bridge more than 5/8" off the body I just shake my head wondering why People tolerate such lousy craftsmanship from such an expensive guitar. My 80's Epiphone LP sits right on the body, no gap & sounds just as good as any Gibson I have ever played
I was just wondering if the tailpiece had any room to raise it by turning those giant posts on it. Then you might not need to overwrap the strings? Perhaps the tailpiece holes were loose too, like the bridge holes and you couldn't. That was a creative solution though.
Thanks Dave you just answered my question..I noticed the string holders on the bridge are all facing the same way and mine are not..I've seen it on a few guitars and was wondering why.
in the old days on the road, we always under-wrapped our stop tailpieces on our Gibsons, after screwing them down tight against the body for max sustain. i always heard that attributed to Ronnie Montrose.
0:21 the bridge is mounted backwards. Opinion Davey? Some people tell me they prefer it that way. I ask them, "did you swap out the saddles when you reversed it?" they usually say no. depending on the manufacturer and quality, the grooves are cut for two different gauges of strings and by reversing it youll make your intonation go out. Plus, its easier to adjust if the adjustment screws are facing foreward Thats what I find anyway!
Since my previous comment (neck sets vary by a couple of degrees) I've been following it more closely... it's actually not even that much - all it takes is half a degree one way or the other on an SG to make it impossible to set the guitar up without strings rubbing on the back of the bridge (bad thing). I totally agree about walking away - this is why you can't buy a Gibson set-neck guitar sight-unseen (or be willing to send it back). One work-around is to back-load the tailpiece and wrap the strings over the top - still a kludge, but that's better than raising the tailpiece way up IMO.
On doing Phone Jacks, I have a pair of long nose pliers that can fit inside the jack. If I initially slip the washer and nut on to the pliers I can use them in the jack to hold it still while I screw the nuts in place.
Your storage cup popped a song in my head. "Raise your can of beer on high and seal you faith forever. Our best years have passed us by, the Golden Age of Leather". Thanks, that's a great Blue Oyster Cult album.Don't mind that being stuck in my head.
I find that strange. just changing the bridge around can solve a lot of intonation problems and i'm convinced that the bass saddles have a bigger slot to accommodate wound strings. the stock gibson guitars ive seen have the bridge with the screws aligned forward. I think this is for a reason. Ive never found anything to support either way, but it works for me
great job on vids as always. Quick question to bug you on - opinion on replacing pickups on cheaper guitars - good idea, or waste of money/time, and any one better than the other?
Are the "V"'s in the saddles string indexed.?.My intonation screws are facing up the neck...Would it matter if I flipped the bridge to get the screws facing the other way.?..Thanks for the response Dave...Much appreciated.
There are different kinds of brass and not all sound good in a guitar bridge. I found that out by experience. I think it should be bell brass. My experience: there was a time when everybody wanted brass hardware. So I bought brass screws as a replacement for the screws the bridge sat on and somehow forgot the guitar. Years later I played it again and found it sounding horrible although it was well made (hoyer les paul copy). Then I changed the scews mentioned above against steel scews and it sounded nice and sweet.
Nice job Dave ! Seems to me that on the 2nd SG the PU wiring is inverted. The treble position sounds like it's the neck PU and vice-versa… Right ? Cheers man ! \m/
Doesn't wrapping the strings around the tailpiece make them more susceptible to breaking? Look at that sharp angle on the string as it goes around the back of the tailpiece.
Hi Dave, I had to under wrap the strings on my 2016 LP Traditional. I took your info from this vid and I applied it to my LP and sure enough, with the stop tail piece turned all the way down to the body, I still have space between the bridge and the strings, so no breakage. Gibsons are VERY inconsistent in their construction, gotta compensate, right?
I like your videos to a certain extent and noticed a Stew Mac guitar shaped parts holder. I had seen them on their site and always wondered who and why anyone would buy one. Now I know who but just why? Also, you checked the wiring towards the end of the set up on the last guitar. What if something had been out of whack? Looks like you would be starting all over Super Dave?
Hi Dave nice videos i always enjoy your approach ! Can you tell me the specks in mm and cm because i can't find any tools here in inches . Thanks a lot
I like how you pick it up and hold it in playing position more or less when you check the relief. Newbs, don't check relief on the bench. It could change your reading, 'specially on a guitar like this.
Hey Dave,I noticed you have a container of guitar grease.Why don't you use this on the nut slots when you do your setups?I use it for every setup I do.Thanks Mike.....
Hello Dave! first off, I love your videos and have been subscribed from my personal channel for years! I just have a question..My old Gibson Melody Maker is super beat up, sounds great, but my truss rod seems to be maxed out and it has a little too much relief! I'm not sure if this is due to corrosion or if it has actually run out of threads...any advice would be awesome! Thanks :)
'Magnetic driven wavelengths': sound waves are air molecules in motion. The pickups don't know what produced the wave. The difference between your voice and the phone is that the phone may emphasize the same frequencies that the pickups are sensitive to. Also, your voice comes from farther away and the waves are spread out more.
"SG guitars are not all alike"..that's certainly an understatement. Looks like a limited production run 2002 Faded SG with the crescent moon position markers and ebony FB. . It does look like Nashville bridge was put on after as the guitar should have come with the ABR-1 and strung in the normal way. Gibson have had quality issues throughout it's history and the neck angle is just one of them. It may be a collectors piece soon if not already.
These are sg specials are only made in 2002-03. Thus crescent moons are becoming rarer as this has ebony neck and unique inlays. Get em if you can price 500-700 and rising.
the stop-tail is jacked up like that and the strings are still denting the bridge plate?or did Dave raise the stop-tail posts prior to turning on the camera? that's what I wanna know......
On the first guitar- couldn't you flip the tune-o-matic saddles around so the intonation screws point toward the headstock to get some additional clrarance for the strings? Second guitar has the intonation screws facing the headstock.
On the first guitar you put the saddle on with the intonation screws facing the bridge, the second guitar you put the saddle on with the intonation screws facing the nut...?? Shouldn't they always face the bridge or to the rear for ease of adjustment?
when I got my sg faded 2016 t I got a softcase gibson bag with it and it had a photo of my guitar in a sound laboratory or something. I felt quite weird about that photo so I had to ask if anybody of you happened to have a photo in your case as well.
Well, my Gibson SG Standard 2014 plays good, but the setup looks relly wierd. The bass side of the bridge and where the strings come from is set quite hight, and the treble side is set almost all the way down. Is this normal, or should i get someone to check it out? It's not buzzing or anything. Even the pickups are at an angle.
@19:24 Did it sound like the pickup switch is upside down? When you flicked it down to the lead pickup, it sounded like the neck pickup came on and vise versa.
Hey Dave, do you know of any string manufacturer other than Elixir that makes coated strings to extend string life? I'm curious to know if there's anything else out there other than Elixirs. Not that I'm complaining about Elixirs, because since I switched to them after going back and forth with Ernie Ball and GHS, the tone and string life has improved drastically. Just want to know if Elixir has any competition in the coated string market. Thanks for your input.
Dave is it just me or on the first SG when you were checking the neck relief you didn't have a capo on but on the second SG you did use one does it make much of a difference?
Hey Dave. Why could you not just raise the tailpiece just a tad to get the strings off the bridge instead of overwrapping? Does it get too weak? Some guys say there doesn't need to be all that much angle past the saddles and you seem to get the same effect overwrapping.
I have this same guitar and bought it 14 years ago it has the same bridge and played 100's of shows and changed thousands of strings and never had any problems with strings biting Into my bridge but I had mine set up by a professional 1 time 10 years ago and man its perfect and never had any problems but u can adjust these guitars in many different ways so if u kind of know what to do this won't happen but my guitar is set up for rythym playing but lead is still do able if u had to but for lead I'd go with your les Paul but for a nice crunch rythym this is your guitar guys and this is alot of experience with it talking but kudos to all my sg guys making videos about em i love em
Dave great job, quick my les Paul bridge does not seem to be right the l. Angle of the string brake does not touch the bridge duty the 2 E strings do any helpful hints would be great
My SG has the oposit problem, the neck is set in such a way that i have a damn near impossible time getting the action lower than a quarter of an inch or so, and thats with rod adjustment
I have some Gibsons (ES 339, SG Standard,1992 LP Standard, LP Special etc) and I NEVER take all the strings off at once unless I'm doing a deep cleaning which is only once every couple years (I just play at home...no gigging). Everything falls apart and the specs (ie, action) get messed up unless you measure or tape everything.....so, string changes are one at a time for me for the last 20+ years! Plus, it's not THAT hard to clean with strings on.....they bend and can be moved away.
here's what may be a dumb question to some. When measuring and adjusting for string height, how do you know whether to raise the bridge or mess with the truss rod?
from what I can see on the video that is your standard Gibson bridge, I have a 2002 custom les paul and a 2012 standard les paul both of which have the same type of bridge system
